Page 14 — Thursday, June 3, 2021 — The Hastings Banner
Jensen one-under at regionals, earns state spot
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
Saxon senior Will Jensen already had his
state finals spot secured after 18 holes at
Yankee Springs Golf Course Tuesday, but
there was still a championship to chase.
Jensen finished as the runner-up at the
Division 2 Regional Tournament hosted by
Thornapple Kellogg on the gold and white
nines at Yankee Springs. Jensen and Byron
Center’s Jack Marzolinio each scored a one-
under-par 71, and then went into a playoff for
the individual regional championship.
Marzolinio birdied the par-5, number five
on the gold nine to close out his 18 holes and
pull even with Jensen, and then the two went
to their playoff. Both guys went bogey, par,
par on their first three playoff holes, but
Jensen snap hooked his drive on the fourth
playoff hole and ended up having to play a
provisional after the first ball was declared
lost.
“His provision drive was excellent along
with the shot after that, but it wasn’t enough
to win the hole,” Hastings head coach Kristen
Laubaugh said.
Marzolino parred the hole to win the play-
off.
“The atmosphere during the playoff was
unlike anything Will had ever played in
before,” Laubaugh said. “There were about 60
kids following these two guys during the
entire playoff. It was fun and exciting, but put
a lot of pressure on both of the players. Will
handled it all very well.”
The top three teams and top three players
not on those teams Tuesday earned spots in
the June 11-12 Division 2 Lower Peninsula
State Finals which will be held at Bedford
Valley Golf Club. Jensen was one of the three
individual state qualifiers and Marzolino
earned his state finals spot by helping his
Byron Center Bulldogs win the team regional
championship. The Bulldogs put together a
team score of 310. Grand Rapids Christian
was second with a 318 and Plainwell third
with a 326. It was a fierce fight for that third
and final state qualifying spot. Unity Christian
was fourth with a 327 and Hamilton fifth at
329.
Behind those top five teams, Holland
Christian scored a 335, Wayland 335, South
Christian 336, Hastings 340, Thornapple
Kellogg 346, Zeeland West 364, Holland 369,
Allegan 380, Ionia 389, Otsego 389 and
Zeeland East 399.
Sophomore Eli Timmerman from Hamilton
and senior Isaiah Lowe from Holland
Christian were the day’s other two individual
state qualifiers. Timmerman shot a 73. Lowe
scored a 74. They were third and fourth over-
all and Grand Rapids Christian’s Alex
VandenBerge was the tournament’s fifth-
place medalist with a 76.Senior CJ Crabtree led Thornapple Kellogg,
finishing 21st with a score of 84.
Jensen was even through his first nine holes
and then went to one-under after 12.
“He just played super steady golf, only one
bogey, on his fourth hole, and then he had two
birdies and parred everything else,” coach
Laubaugh said. “He had a couple of opportu-
nities to go to two under, but just lipped out
the putts. His game was just right on track
yesterday.”
The Saxon team also got an 86 from fresh-
man Owen Carroll, an 87 from junior Joey
McLean and a 96 from sophomore Collin
Fouty.
“As a team I was pleased with how weplayed and placed,” Laubaugh said. “All of
the guys had some great holes with either
some birdies or nice strings of pars. Joey
McLean had one of his better rounds for the
year and Owen Carroll finished the season
really strong. I’m looking forward to seeing
them back next spring.”
Behind Crabtree for TK, Drew Nathan shot
an 87, Connor Newland an 87 and Trevor
Hummer an 88. Sophomore Austin Pitsch
wasn’t far behind the TK top four, shooting a
91.
The regional championship team from
Byron Center got a 78 from Brayden Elzinga,
an 80 from Brayden Woudstra and an 81 from
senior Luke Nickolaus.Hastings’ Jack Kensington fires his ball from the edge of the fairway on number one
on the white nine during the Division 2 Regional Tournament hosted by Thornapple
Kellogg Tuesday. (Photo by Brett Bremer)
The Saxons’ Will Jensen shoots his ball towards the green on white number two at
Yankee Springs Golf Course Tuesday during the Division 2 Regional hosted by
Thornapple Kellogg. Jensen scored a one-under-71 and then was bested in a playoff
for the individual regional championship, earning a spot in the Division 2 Lower
Peninsula State Finals in the process. (Photo by Brett Bremer)Hastings’ Owen Carroll checks out his
path to the green on number one on the
white nine Tuesday at Yankee Springs
Golf Course. (Photo by Brett Bremer)Thornapple Kellogg’s Austin Pitsch
chips his ball up to the green on number
nine on the gold nine at Yankee Springs
Golf Course Tuesday during the Division
2 Regional hosted by the Trojans. (Photo
by Brett Bremer)LHS ladies to join Ionia and
Hastings at TK Saturday
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
The Lakewood varsity softball team earned
a trip to Middleville Saturday by winning its
Division 2 Pre-District ballgame with visiting
Portland Tuesday afternoon.
The Vikings took a 2-1 win over the visit-
ing Red Raiders, holding on after scoring a
run in the bottom of the first and a second in
the bottom of the third.
Lakewood will take on Ionia at 10 a.m.
Saturday in the first of two district semifinal
ballgames hosted by Thornapple Kellogg. The
host Trojans take on Hastings in the second
semifinal ballgame, with the district champi-
onship game to follow.
Lakewood senior pitcher Morgan Stahl
added to her single-season Lakewood record
for strike outs by fanning 15 Raiders Tuesday.
She walked two and gave up just two hits. The
one run against her was unearned.
Portland pitcher Sophia Novara struck out
seven, walked four and gave up one earned
run on three hits.
One of those four walks was to Viking
freshman catcher Lily Federau to lead-off the
bottom of the first. She went to second on a
sacrifice bunt by Liv Woodman, to third on a
ground out by teammate Audrey Hillard and
then scored on a wild pitch.
That Viking first inning surge kept going.Hannah Slater walked and Cora Giffin fol-
lowed with a single, but Novara worked her
way out of further trouble.
Federau started things agains for the
Vikings in the bottom of the third with a lead-
off double. She went to third on a Raider
error, and Lakewood had Federau at third and
Woodman at second with nobody out. Federau
scored on a wild pitch again, and Woodman
moved up to third, but again Novara prevent-
ed things from getting out of hand.
A walk, an error and a sacrifice bunt
allowed the Raiders to push their lone run
across in the top of the sixth inning.
Novara worked out of danger one more
time in the bottom of the sixth. Giffin led off
with a single and went to second on a sacrifice
bunt by teammate Maryssa Goble. Claire
Behnam walked to put two on with one out
for the Vikings, and McKenzie Richards
walked to load the bases with two out, but a
ground ball to short by Federau ended the
inning.
Stahl had her own situation to deal with in
the top of the seventh. Brooke Seal led off
with a double to center for the Raiders. She
went to third on a sacrifice bunt, but Stahl
caught a pop up for the second out and then
struck out the final Portland batter with the
tying-run stranded at third.Saxons best Wayland, face
Charlotte in district semi’s
Hastings took a 7-3 win over the Wayland
Wildcats in a ballgame played at Cornerstone
University to close out the 2021 varsity base-
ball regular season.
The Saxons are now scheduled to face
Charlotte in the Division 2 District Semifinals
Saturday morning at Lakewood High School.
Game time is set for 9 a.m. Lakewood will
face Greater Lansing Activities Conference
rival Olivet in the second semifinal ballgame
of the day, with the district championship
game to follow.
Mason Denton, Matthew Thompson and
Mitchell Rafter each singled twice in the win
for the Saxons Tuesday in what was a five-in-
ning ballgame. Harrison Smalley had a hit andtwo RBI. Ethan Caris drove in two runs as
well. Denton and Rafter had one RBI each.
Denton and Kaiden Shumway each scored
twice for the Saxons.
Rafter started on the mound and got the
win, giving up three runs on seven hits and a
walk in 3.2 innings. He struck out one.
Markley tossed 1.1 innings, striking out one
and not allowing a hit.
Wayland had seven different guys with one
hit. A double by Reagan Mutchler was the
only extra-base hit of the ballgame. Dustin
Loomans singled and drove in two runs for
the Wildcats and Cam Carnevale had an RBI
single.